The Kaumumene Trail, commonly known as Hideaways Trail, has reopened after a rehabilitation project that ran from June 29 to Sept. 24. That is nearly three months of work—about four weeks beyond the county’s initial eight-week estimate. The County of Kauai Department of Public Works announced the reopening after repairs to the popular coastal route.
The project’s completion date and scope were reported by The Garden Island. Crews rebuilt sections of the trail, managed vegetation and addressed hazards, while carrying out work intended to improve drainage and limit erosion.
A Timeline That Outlasted a Hurricane
The county’s initial estimate was an eight-week closure, with a late-August reopening anticipated if weather allowed, according to The Garden Island’s June 27 brief. Instead, weather delays and Hurricane Lowell pushed completion to Sept. 24. The work therefore lasted nearly three months in total, about four weeks longer than the original estimate.
The rehabilitation also included installing or repairing safety features. Together, the reconstruction and maintenance work addressed existing hazards and was intended to keep the route in service for people heading to the shoreline below Princeville.
Security Stepped In as Trespassers Kept Coming
The closure was difficult to enforce: people entered the work area despite signs and barricades, according to the county’s account reported by The Garden Island. ABA Protection Inc. provided security during the project, with staff working to inform the public and keep unauthorized visitors out of the construction area.
The Garden Island also reported that 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay supplied access, parking and other resources to support the project.
County Thanks Planners, Engineers and a Longtime Advocate
The Department of Public Works thanked its Planning Department for guidance and recognized Sustainable Engineering, LLC for its work on the project, according to The Garden Island. The county also acknowledged Mike Lyons for his longstanding advocacy and support of the Kaumumene Trail.
Kaua‘i Shoreline and Trail Context
A broader island-wide measure—not a finding about Hideaways Trail itself—is in the Keālia Mauka Homesites Draft Environmental Impact Statement, hosted by the Hawaiʻi Land Use Commission: it reports that Kaua‘i shorelines retreated an average of more than 36 feet over the past century. That figure provides coastal context, but does not measure erosion at this trail or identify a site-specific risk to access paths near Princeville. A separate Kaua‘i trail closure followed the April 2018 flooding. In a May 11 update, the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources said the Kalalau Trail and Kalalau Valley campsites would remain closed until trail repairs and repairs to the highway serving Hāʻena and Nāpali were completed. That was a different trail and incident from Hideaways’ hurricane-delayed rehabilitation.
Social media chatter had flagged the closure back when it first began. A Threads post from @kauaimagazine noted at the time that “Kaumumene Trail, better known as Hideaways Trail, will be closed for repairs,” reflecting the buzz among locals tracking the popular route's status throughout the summer.
The county credited project partners with helping complete the rehabilitation. Hideaways Trail is now open again after being closed since late June.
